Puzzle

ABSTRACT

A hidden maze puzzle device includes one or more traps, wherein when one of the traps is activated by a user, a reset action is triggered to send the user back to the start of the puzzle. The puzzle includes an outer housing section, a shaft section slidably and rotatably moveable within the outer housing section, and a spring-loaded pin in engagement with both the outer housing and the shaft for guiding a user though the puzzle.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a manually operable puzzle device,particularly to a maze puzzle.

Maze puzzles have been known for many years in the toy industry, andhidden maze puzzles emerged at least as early as 1971. These puzzlesrange from the relatively simple to the extremely challenging.

However, there is a large community of keen puzzle enthusiasts aroundthe world. which is always eager to be provided with new and differenttypes of challenges to solve. The present invention fulfils this need.

Therefore, according to the present invention there is provided a puzzledevice comprising one or more traps, wherein when one of the traps isactivated by a user, a reset action is triggered to send the user backto the start of the puzzle.

Typically, the puzzle is a maze puzzle, more typically a hidden mazepuzzle.

Once one of the traps has been sprung, the user is automatically removedfrom the maze and the only way for the user to continue with the puzzleis to return to the very beginning and start again. The feature of theone or more traps, which triggers the reset action of the puzzle is onewhich has never before been developed in such puzzles.

While it will be appreciated that the traps/reset action concept of theinvention may be applicable to other types of puzzles, it will beexplained further herein with reference to a hidden maze puzzle forconvenience.

The puzzle of the invention typically comprises a substantially opaqueouter housing to hide the maze therein from view. According to oneembodiment of the invention, the outer housing may be made of a metal,such as high-grade anodised aluminium. Alternatively, according to afurther embodiment of the invention, the housing may be made of aplastic material. The respective internal structures of the puzzles ofthe invention having the metal outer housing and the plastic outerhousing are different to each other.

Exemplary plastics, which may be used in the present invention include,but are not limited to, acetal and Nylon. Acetal Rod has an idealcombination of high mechanical strength, hardness and toughness, givingit superb sliding properties, wear resistance and electrical insulation.

Within the outer housing section is a shaft section which is slidablyand rotatably moveable within the outer housing section. On the shaft isetched an intricate maze which is traversable by a combination of asense of touch, manual dexterity and intelligence. In the alternative,if desired, the maze could be etched on the inside surface of the outerhousing.

In the embodiment wherein the outer housing is made of a metal, theshaft is also typically metallic, typically being made of e.g. brass andsometimes also being nickel-plated. The pin and spring are typicallycomposed of stainless steel. In the embodiment wherein the outer housingis made of a plastic, the shaft is also typically made of a plasticmaterial.

A series of similar puzzles has been developed by the inventor, eachpuzzle in the series exhibiting increasing levels of difficulty. Eachpuzzle in the series has a different coloured outer housing todistinguish them from each other.

As with all maze puzzles, the maze comprises a complex series ofbarriers and openings, together with a series of pathways leading theuser through the maze. There are also a number of dead ends in the maze,as well as optionally one or more false finishes. Only a single exit isprovided at the top of the maze.

A user negotiates his or her way through the maze using a spring-loadedpin, which is inserted through an opening in the outer housing and isbrought into contact with the shaft. It is this pin which is guided bythe user through the maze. By careful rotation of the shaft in the outerhousing, together with a combination of pulling and pushing of the shaftas required, a user is able to guide the pin through the hidden maze.

The length of the pin is typically 8.5 mm, i.e. about 1 to about 1.5 mmlonger than the thickness of the wall of the outer housing. Thisdifference in size is important. When the shaft is within the outerhousing and in contact with the pin, the pin is pushed back against thespring, which itself is engaged with a surface providing a biasingforce, thus keeping the pin under a spring-loaded tension at all timesthe user is attempting to solve the puzzle and while the pin is incontact with the shaft. The height of the pathways through the mazerelative to the shaft is designed so that the pin will always be under adegree of spring-loaded tension while it is in contact with them.

The pin is inserted through an opening in the outer housing at a point,which is typically about halfway along the housing. The opening istypically about 6 mm in diameter. Into this opening is inserted a pinhousing, a pin and a spring. The head of the pin may be concealed in anysuitable manner for aesthetic reasons, but is typically concealed by asection bearing the ReVoMaze trade name, which is incorporated into theouter surface of the outer housing.

It will be appreciated that the word ‘pin’ is used very broadly hereinand is intended to cover any form of projection, which could engage thepathways and depressions within the maze.

However, what differentiates the puzzle of the invention from previouspuzzles, however, is the cunning applied in the design of the mazes inthe form of the unique trap/reset action feature. One or more ‘traps’are built into the design of the maze. As many traps may be included inthe maze as may be desired.

These traps are created by etching deeper depressions in the shaft inthe design of the maze than those, which are created for the safepathways through the maze. While the height of the pathways through themaze is such that the pin will always be under a degree of spring-loadedtension while it is in contact with them, the deeper depressions usedfor the traps are sufficiently deep that when the pin reaches them, thespring-loaded tension is released, allowing the pin to extend forwardand into the depression. Once this occurs, the trap is sprung and theshaft is part released from the outer housing. Once this occurs, theonly way the user can continue with trying to solve the puzzle is toreset the shaft back in the housing in its original position and startthe puzzle again from the very beginning.

The shaft is prevented by the pin from being released from the housingwhen a trap is sprung. As the pin is 8.5 mm long, even when it is fullycompressed on the spring, at least 1 mm of the pin always protrudes intothe maze. The only time the pin comes out of the maze is at the end ofthe maze upon completion, which allows the shaft to be removed (in thepuzzles with the metal outer housing).

A further feature of these puzzles is that the width of the pathwaysthrough the maze can vary from relatively wide to narrow. The narrowerthe pathway, the more difficult it is for a user to negotiate a safepath through the maze while avoiding the traps. Some of the pathways areas wide as the pin itself (i.e. 3 mm), while others are either ½ pinwidth (1.5 mm), ¼ pin width (0.75 mm) or ⅛ pin width (0.375 mm).

Once—but not before—the puzzle contained within the metal outer housingis (eventually) solved and the maze completed, the user is able tocompletely remove the shaft from the outer housing. By doing this he/sheis able to remove a further pin member located within the shaft, andrunning substantially the length of the shaft, around which acertificate is wrapped with a unique code which can be used to provethat the puzzle has been solved. Submission of this code to the inventorvia his website as proof of the solution may enable the successful userto then enter a prize competition against others who have also solvedthe puzzle.

Once the puzzle has been solved, the shaft can be re-inserted into theouter housing to reset the puzzle so it can be solved again. Keenenthusiasts can then try to solve the puzzle again to see how quicklythey are able to solve it against the clock.

Upon solution of the embodiment of the puzzle comprising the metal outerhousing, care should be taken when removing the shaft from the metalouter housing as the puzzle may contain one or more pieces, such as apin, one or more springs or one or more slider mechanisms, which may beloose and which could fall out of the housing.

According to another aspect of the invention, the embodiment of thepuzzle comprising the plastic outer housing and shaft does not allow theshaft to be completely removed from the outer housing upon completion ofthe puzzle. It is physically impossible to remove the shaft from theouter housing, even upon completion of the puzzle, without breaking thepuzzle. This also means that it is not possible for any loose pieces tofall out of the puzzle.

This is achieved by the shaft section comprising a deep depressionrunning around substantially its entire circumference. This depressionis deep enough that when a user completes the puzzle and tries to removethe shaft from the outer housing, once the pin reaches the depression,the spring-loaded tension in the pin is released and the pin springsforward into the depression. The pin being in the depression acts as abiasing force or barrier to prevent the complete removal of the shaftfrom the housing. Therefore, upon completion of the maze, no loose partsare released from the puzzle.

Additionally, in the plastic outer housing embodiment of the presentinvention, there is no further pin member located within the shaftaround which a certificate, which proves the puzzle has been solved iswrapped; rather, there is a small hole provided at a suitable point inthe shaft which contains the rolled up certificate. The hole containingthe certificate is positioned so that it can only be exposed uponcompletion of the puzzle and release of a sufficient portion of theshaft from the outer housing.

The outer housing section is typically substantially cylindrical inshape in both the metal and plastic housing embodiments to aid therotation of the shaft within it, although other shapes, which allow fora similar degree of freedom of rotation would also be envisaged withinthe scope of the invention.

The embodiment where the outer housing and/or shaft are made of aplastic material obviously provides for a puzzle, which is not as heavyas the metal puzzle, as it weighs only about 200 g instead of about 600g. This enables this version to be played with for longer without auser's hands becoming tired. It also makes them cheaper to produce andtherefore also cheaper to subsequently sell to customers.

It is envisaged within the concept of the present invention to provide aseries of similar puzzles offering increasing levels of difficulty andcomplexity.

Additionally, unlike puzzles such as the Rubik Cube, it is not possibleto open up or take the puzzles of the invention apart in an effort tosolve them without breaking them and rendering them useless for futureuse.

According to another aspect of the invention, the puzzle may compriseone or more moveable slider mechanisms. These slider mechanisms may beinitially positioned in the maze to block openings in the maze, but thesliders may by moved by the user during the solving of the maze toexpose the opening blocked by the slider and allow the user to guide thepin through. In order that these sliders do not fall out of the puzzleupon completion, they may be secured to the puzzle but in such a waythat permits them to be moved laterally as required as part of thepuzzle.

Alternative optional features of the maze puzzles may include one ormore narrow bridges which constitute safe pathways across widerdepressions in the maze designed to act as traps, or even a ball bearingbeing loose in the maze which can be moved into a specific position inthe maze to enable the user to guide the pin over a barrier which wouldnot be possible in the absence of the ball bearing being in thedesignated position.

According to a further aspect, any bridges in the puzzle may bemoveable. This means that in order to safely navigate a path through themaze, the bridge must first be moved into the correct position. If it isnot, the user is likely to spring a trap and be sent back to thebeginning of the puzzle.

According to a further aspect, one or more gravity pins may be used inthe maze to block the path of the pin through the maze unless the puzzleis turned upside down.

These features are unique in that the maze becomes ‘dynamic’, the paththrough the maze being affected by internal moving parts within themaze.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the puzzle maycontain one or more false reset traps. These traps do necessitate theuser returning to the beginning of the puzzle in the same way as thenormal traps, but there is provided a secret path the user needs to findwhile resetting to aid his solving of the puzzle.

It is also envisaged that the present invention may be used in schoolsand educational establishments as part of a program to encourage pupilsto engage in logical thinking and problem solving.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided amethod of manufacturing a puzzle as described hereinabove, comprisingthe pre-programming a puzzle design into a machine and providing one ormore instruments capable of etching the design onto material comprisingthe puzzle.

The inner maze shaft of the present invention cannot be manufactured bymoulding techniques, as the number of different segments of the innermaze shaft which would be required to be moulded would be too great andtoo difficult to make to accommodate the shapes provided by thecomplicated puzzles of the invention. In contrast, the plastic outerhousing of the invention comprises one piece.

A further aspect of this invention is that both the plastic outerhousings and inner maze shaft can be made on the same machines as themetal outer housings on the original ReVoMaze puzzles, and can beengineered to within 0.01 mm accuracy. Also, surprisingly, the plasticused does not exhibit any wearing upon prolonged use of the puzzle dueto the type of material used.

The puzzle of the invention may typically be manufactured using apre-programmed lathe. The design of the maze to be etched on the shaftis programmed into the lathe and the material for the shaft is held in asliding head clamp allowing it to be moved laterally as required to etchthe maze design thereon. The lathe is equipped with a plurality ofblades of various different diameters thereon to create the intricatemaze design on the shaft, which design includes pathways, barriers andopenings of varying sizes and widths, as well as the other etchingswhich are added to the shaft for cosmetic reasons.

The puzzle is made using Sliding Head CNC lathes to manufacture to tighttolerances. Various drilling, cut-outs and shapes are created from roundstock bar that is automatically fed into the machine. These are known asproduction machines.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

The invention will now be described further by way of example withreference to the following examples and figures, which are intended tobe illustrative only and in no way limiting upon the scope of theinvention.

FIG. 1 shows a hidden maze puzzle having a metal outer housing inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a representation of a cross-sectional view of thespring-loaded pin in the outer housing in the puzzle according to theinvention.

FIGS. 3 a and 3 b shows a representation of show representations of apin as it used in the invention and its insertion into its opening inthe outer housing a in the puzzle according to the invention.

FIG. 4 shows a representation of the shaft and the depression thereinaccording to the plastic outer housing embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 shows a representation of a slider mechanism which may be used inthe puzzles of the invention.

FIG. 6 shows a representation of a slider mechanism in position in apuzzle of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 shows a hidden maze puzzle 1, having a metal cylindrical outerhousing 2 containing a shaft 4 laterally and rotationally moveabletherein. The pin is concealed from view under the section 6 bearing theReVoMaze name.

A cross-sectional view of the position of the spring-loaded pin 8 in theouter housing 2 is depicted in FIG. 2. For clarity, the shaft is notshown. The pin is engaged with a spring 10 and inserted into the opening12 in the outer housing 2. It can be seen how the pin 8 is hidden fromview under the section 6 at the surface of the outer housing 2.

FIG. 3 a simply shows a representation of the pin 8 and the opening 12it is inserted into, while FIG. 3 b shows the pin 8 and spring 10 inposition in the opening 12.

In FIG. 4 the depression 14 in the shaft 4, which is used in the plasticouter housing embodiment of the invention can be seen. It is thisdepression 14, which prevents the complete removal of the shaft 4 fromthe outer housing 2.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a slider mechanism 16 which may be used in thepuzzles of the invention. In FIG. 5, the slider 16 is shown alone, whilein FIG. 6 it is shown in position in the maze. The slider fits in aspecially created niche in the maze in the shaft 4. The slider 16 ismoved from one position to another using the pin 8 in order to open up apassage through the maze, which the slider 16 had previously beenblocking off.

It is of course to be understood that the present invention is notintended to be restricted to the foregoing examples, which are describedby way of example only.

1. A puzzle device comprising one or more traps, wherein when one of thetraps is activated by a user, a reset action is triggered to send theuser back to the start of the puzzle.
 2. A puzzle device according toclaim 1 wherein the puzzle is a hidden maze puzzle.
 3. A puzzle deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the puzzle comprises an outer housingsection, a shaft section slidably and rotatably moveable within theouter housing section, and a spring-loaded pin in engagement with boththe outer housing and the shaft for guiding a user though the puzzle. 4.A puzzle device according to claim 1 wherein the one or more trapscomprise one or more depressions which allows the spring-loaded tensionin the pin to be released when the pin contacts the depression,triggering the reset action.
 5. A puzzle device according to claim 3,wherein the outer housing and/or shaft are composed of a metal.
 6. Apuzzle device according to claim 5, wherein the outer housing comprisesaluminium and the shaft comprises brass which is optionallynickel-plated.
 7. A puzzle device according to claim 3, wherein theouter housing and/or shaft are composed of a plastic material.
 8. Apuzzle device according to claim 1, further comprising one or moremoveable parts within the puzzle.
 9. A puzzle device according to claim8, wherein the one or more moveable parts comprise a slider mechanismand/or a ball bearing and/or a gravity pin and/or a moveable bridge. 10.A puzzle device according to claim 3, further comprising a depressionsubstantially entirely around the shaft.
 11. A puzzle device comprisingan outer housing section, a shaft section which is slidably androtatably insertable into the outer housing, a pin member in engagementwith the outer housing section and with the shaft section, the pinmember being under spring-loaded tension, wherein the shaft comprises adepression substantially entirely therearound such that when a userattempts to remove the shaft from the housing, the spring-loaded pincontacts the depression, the spring-loaded tension is released, and thepin extends into the depression to prevent removal of the shaft from thehousing.
 12. A puzzle device according to claim 11, wherein the puzzlecontains one or more traps which, when activated by a user, triggers areset action to send the user back to the start of the puzzle.
 13. Apuzzle device according to claim 12, wherein the one or more trapscomprise one or more depressions which allows the spring-loaded tensionin the pin to be released when the pin contacts the depression such thatthe pin extends into the depression.
 14. A puzzle device according toclaim 11, further comprising a slider mechanism and/or a moveablebridge.
 15. A puzzle device according to claim 11, wherein the outerhousing and/or shaft comprises a plastic material.
 16. A puzzleaccording to claim 11, wherein the puzzle is a hidden maze puzzle.
 17. Amethod of manufacturing a hidden-maze puzzle comprising one or moretraps, said method comprising the pre-programming a puzzle design into amachine and providing one or more instruments capable of etching thedesign onto material comprising the puzzle.
 18. A method ofmanufacturing a puzzle comprising an outer housing section, a shaftsection which is slidably and rotatably insertable into the outerhousing, a pin member in engagement with the outer housing section andwith the shaft section, the pin member being under spring-loadedtension, wherein the shaft comprises a depression substantially entirelytherearound such that when a user attempts to remove the shaft from thehousing, the spring-loaded pin contacts the depression, thespring-loaded tension is released, and the pin extends into thedepression to prevent removal of the shaft from the housing, said methodcomprising the steps of: pre-programming a puzzle design into a machine;and providing one or more instruments capable of etching the design ontomaterial comprising the puzzle.